The energy industries will see the largest business investments of any industry in the coming decades... and that means jobs. The opportunities in renewables and clean energy will grow particularly fast. How can women, who are historically under-represented in STEM professions leverage this growth and be a part of the energy boom? Four panelists who have made energy their careers will share their insights into how it's done now, what policies would help place more women in energy, and what we can expect in the future, including women from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Tristate Generation & Transmission Association, and the US Department of Energy.

1. The Opportunities for
Women in U.S. Renewables…
and What We’ll Need to Get
Them There
A WREF Forum Sponsored by
Women in Sustainable Energy
5/17/2012 1WREF 2012 | Opportunities for Women in U.S. Renewables

2.  Thank you to WISE, WREF
 Look at where women are in RE today
 Why its important to women and the
industry
 Meet a few of the amazing women in RE
 Hear their stories, suggestions
 Q&A
Today’s Agenda
5/17/2012 2WREF 2012 | Opportunities for Women in U.S. Renewables

3.  Leslie Martel Baer, Moderator
Analyst and Strategist, Energy Intersections, LLC
 Misty Conrad
Senior Technical Project Lead
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
 Heidi VanGenderen
Director of Public Engagement, Office of the Secretary
U.S. Department of Energy
 Erin Whitney
Research Scientist, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
 Mary Ann Zehr
Senior Transmission Policy Specialist
Tristate Generation and Transmission Association, Inc.
Welcome
5/17/2012 3WREF 2012 | Opportunities for Women in U.S. Renewables

4. Where are Women Today?
 <10% of employees
and trainees in
RE/EE are women
 Myths abound:
◦ Myth 1: women are
not strong enough
◦ Myth 2: RE or
“green” is a fad
◦ Myth 3: RE is too
“dirty” for women
5/17/2012 4WREF 2012 | Opportunities for Women in U.S. Renewables

5. Why it Matters
 Women may be
missing out on
ideal positions
 World energy
demand may rise
by 49% by 2035
 RE and green jobs
poised to grow by
4–31% by 2018
Women’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor. Why
Green is Your Color: A Woman’s to a Sustainable
Career. www.dol.gov/wb
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6. Misty Dawn Conrad
Senior Technical Project Lead
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
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7. 1.75 MW utility scale PV
American Samoa
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8.  11 anemometers
 Organic Rankine Cycle
American Samoa Power Authority
5/17/2012 8WREF 2012 | Opportunities for Women in U.S. Renewables

9. Workshops
 Strategies
◦ Energy analysis
◦ Cost of energy
◦ Energy awareness and literacy
◦ Policy framework
◦ Utility efficiency
◦ Conservation
◦ Energy efficiency
◦ Renewable Energy Technologies
◦ Workforce development
◦ Transportation
◦ Water
Define where are you, where do you want to go, what are your
energy options and developing a plan to get there.
5/17/2012 9WREF 2012 | Opportunities for Women in U.S. Renewables

10.  Technologist and engineer
 Stakeholder facilitator
 Strategic planner
 Policy analyst
 Problem solver
 Competition
 Validation
 Legitimacy
 Experience
 Sexism
Wearing Several Hats
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11. Heidi VanGenderen
Director, National & Regional Outreach
American Council on Renewable Energy
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12. ACORE
Encompasses
All Forms of Renewable Energy
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Mission: ACORE is dedicated to building a secure and prosperous
America with clean, renewable energy

13. ACORE’s 500+
Organizational Members
 Strategy to assemble
all the players
necessary to make
renewable energy
successful in the U.S.
 Addressing:
◦ Finance
◦ Policy
◦ Technology
◦ Market Development
5/17/2012 13WREF 2012 | Opportunities for Women in U.S. Renewables

14. Three Strategic
Initiatives in 2012
National Defense &
Security:
Defining the
opportunities for the
expanded use of
renewable energy in
support of national
defense
Power Generation
& Infrastructure:
Creating business
models for renewable
electricity in the 21st
century
Transportation:
Creating a vision for a
21st century
transportation
infrastructure powered
by clean and renewable
energy and fuels
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16. “Up until 1842, women and children worked underground for a pittance doing hard
labor that even robust men avoided or would find difficult. Some women actually
wielded picks, but most were just treated as beasts of burden. They carried coal in
baskets on their backs as they climbed up stairs out of the mine and in some
collieries, they even had chains around their waists in order to haul wagons through
narrow passages on all fours. Conditions were abysmal, the working day was long and
there were no occupational health and safety regulations, and women and children
were almost considered dispensible by many colliery owners…”
Source: http://thehistorybucket.blogspot.com/2010/09/queens-of-coal.html
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21. The Earnings Gap, 1984–2009
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24. Erin Whitney, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
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25. Illustration by Stephanie Freese, from American Scientist, March-April 2012, 100(2), 138.
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Policy Changes

26. Illustration by Stephanie Freese, from American Scientist, March-April 2012, 100(2), 138.
5/17/2012 26WREF 2012 | Opportunities for Women in U.S. Renewables
Policy Changes

27. Mary Ann Zehr
Senior Transmission Policy Specialist
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc.
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28. Path to Where I am Today
•Naval
Nuclear
Power Plant
Operator
1997
•Began
career at Tri-
State G&T
2005
• Became a
North
American
Electric
Reliability
Corporation
(NERC)
certified Power
System
Operator
2007
• Obtained B.S.
in Business
with a
specialization
in
Management
from Regis
University
2009
• Senior
Transmission
Policy Specialist
at Tri-State G&T
• Obtained M.S. in
Global Energy
Management
from CU-Denver
2011-Present
5/17/2012 28WREF 2012 | Opportunities for Women in U.S. Renewables

29. Thank you for attending this WISE Sponsored Forum. Learn
about WISE at www.wisecolorado.org.
 Leslie Baer
303.377.5006  leslie.baer@energyintersections.com
www.energyintersections.com
 Misty Conrad
misty.conrad@nrel.gov
 Heidi VanGenderen
202.586.7221  heidi.vangenderen@hq.doe.gov
 Erin Whitney
erin.whitney@nrel.gov
 Mary Ann Zehr
mzehr@tristategt.org
Wrap Up, Contacts
5/17/2012 29WREF 2012 | Opportunities for Women in U.S. Renewables